TheViewNationalExpressAutumn2016 - 113
B AC K S E AT ◆
MAN'S BEST FRIEND
David reveals how his life
was turned around after a
devastating car accident
- thanks to Tessie the dog
DAVID SAYS HE
INSTANTLY FELL IN
LOVE WITH TESSIE
'T
hree weeks after my 18th
birthday, I was messing
around playing football in
the street with friends near my home
close to Exeter. The ball ended up
in the middle of the road and I went
Canine Partners
to pick it up - but the driver of
has teamed more
an oncoming car thought
than 600 disabled
I was going to cross back
people with assistant
dogs in the last
again and swerved into me.
20 years.
'It was like slow-motion as
were also able to free a
I was flung up into the air, smashed
into the windscreen and ended
up in a heap on the road.'
THE OPERATION
'I blacked out for a few seconds, then
saw people running towards me. I
couldn't feel anything, my body was
in shock and I could not move at all.
My phone was ringing - I could hear
it, but I couldn't feel it vibrating.
'I was taken to Derriford Hospital in
Plymouth, where I had an operation to
fuse my neck together again. Doctors
TESSIE AT DAVID'S
BECK AND CALL
nerve, which enabled me
to use my arms and give me
hand function - something which,
with my level of spinal injury, I should
not be able to do; so I was lucky in that.
'I spent five months in rehabilitation,
learning everything about wheelchairs
and how to be independent. At
the time, I wasn't fully aware of my
situation; I still thought I'd get better.'
PLAYING BADMINTON
'But three months of being around
people in a similar situation and I
realised: "This is my life, in a wheelchair."
'What helped me through, apart
from the support of my friends
and family, was wheelchair badminton.
I've always loved sport and, when I
tried, I realised I was quite good at it.
Now I'm doing it competitively and to
this day badminton is everything
to me. I'm going to the European
championships and my aim is to play
at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.'
PERFECT MATCH
'Through Canine Partners I was
introduced to Tessie, and instantly
fell in love with her. She is the best
behaved dog I know.
'She's a great companion and I've
taught her to pull my chair to me if
I fall out. And if I need my carer Bob,
she will run to the other end of the
bungalow, nudge Bob with her nose
and he'll come and help.
'She makes me feel happier,
people interact with me much more
because of her, and she's always there
if ever I need her. She's amazing.'
National Express is a partner of Canine Partners. For more
information, visit www.caninepartners.org.uk
113
http://www.caninepartners.org.uk
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